The Tomorrow People: Man of Tomorrow
by CPO Backstreet
Summary: Sequel to The Tomorrow People: The Continuation. The Tomorrow People have settled into their role as monitors of new break-outs, safe from interference from the authorities. But an arrival from space presents them with a new challenge as they struggle to prevent the world falling to a ruthless dictator. T rating for violence and sexual content.
1. Chapter 1

**Well, I had requests for continuation of my continuation of Tomorrow People US and here it is. Those familiar with the original series might notice some plot elements from that version cropping up. Hopefully there's enough of me in here for it not to be too derivative... Enjoy.**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ONE**

The chapel had been ruined and abandoned for some time. It was the perfect meeting place. The acolytes all stood in a semi-circle around their leader, a tall man with shoulder-length dark hair, dressed in white robes similar to those worn by a monk. His name was Amos Trevelean. He looked over them all approvingly. "We are gathered here today, my children, to seek the blessing of the Almighty, whose will it is that you obey me. Your service to my will must be absolute or his wrath will be upon you. His power has fallen upon me!" Trevelean bowed his head as though in prayer. "Lord, let your servant be granted the consecration to show these disciples the truth of your power." He raised his head and every item on the stage with him, chairs, stands, instruments, rose into the air in response to his gestures. There were gasps of astonishment from the acolytes. Trevelean nodded approvingly.

Stephen tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me."

Trevelean spun round, a look of shock on his face. "How did you get in here?"

"Oh, it's just something I do." Stephen walked around the stage, taking in the scene. "I got to hand it to you, this is something we have not seen before. Setting yourself up as the new messiah, that takes real ambition and a certain amount of charisma. I'm not so sure it's entirely putting your abilities to good use though. And a couple of your new recruits might have things of their own to say about it."

John and Astrid stepped into view from the group of neophytes. "You were good,"John assured him. "Lots of showmanship. But that whole floating thing, bit pedestrian isn't it?"

"If you'd actually managed to play the organ while levitating it, that would have been impressive,"Astrid suggested it.

"Or even something as simple as this,"John interjected. He raised his hand and two staffs floated into the air. They began striking each other, as though being wielded in a sword fight by unseen users.

The acolytes, who had been somewhat surprised by the unexpected direction their gathering had taken, began to back away with gasps and murmurings.

"This is a trick!"Trevelean roared. "I am the servant of the Almighty! These…" – inspiration suddenly seemed to strike him – "…these are our enemies. Servants of the Devil!"

His ploy might have succeeded if he had not heard a voice in his head at that moment. "You really want to try and pull that one, Amos?"

John and Stephen did their best not to react. They could hear Cara's voice as well, of course, but no-one else could. They stared at Trevelean as he looked around wildly. "Who said that?"

"I did,"Cara answered. "The Almighty."

"But…you sound like a woman!"

"Oh, you really want to question what I sound like?"

"No, no." Trevelean looked around at his disciples desperately. "You can hear that, right?" His response was a series of awkward and nervous negatives.

"So you're going to go with these nice people,"Cara continued,"and we're going to have a bit of a chat."

John and Astrid stepped forward. John placed a hand on Trevelean's arm. "Sorry about this,"he remarked before they all teleported out.

Stephen suddenly found himself standing alone in front of the semi-circle of confused acolytes. "Okay,"he told them. "I'm now going to have to give you a speech about the concept of free will."

* * *

It was some time later that Stephen was back at the Refuge. He headed towards the office where Cara was waiting and gave her an amused grin. "So, how'd you like being God?"

"Some people would say it's the role I've been dying to play for a long time,"Cara replied.

"I'd never say that,"Stephen replied, his face the picture of innocence.

"How's Trevelean?"

"Checked in on him on my way up here. Irene's in the middle of giving him a long speech about where his powers come from. Pretty much boring him with science. I've a feeling that by the end, confronted with the fact that there's an awful lot of people around here who can do everything he does, possibly better, he won't be feeling all that superior anymore."

Cara winced. "Ouch. I almost feel sorry for him. You think he'll stick around?"

"With us? Probably not. Guess he's one for us to give the 'We'll be watching you so use your powers for good' speech to and then send him on his way."

"He'll probably go along with it if we do. Doesn't strike me as the type to make a stand."

"My thoughts exactly."

"Which just leaves one question…what are you doing tonight?"

Stephen raised an eyebrow at the segue. "You have something in mind?"

"Just dinner round my place and then…we'll see where the mood takes us." She kissed him intensely and he responded instinctively, their bodies almost seeming to mould together.

"It seems to me, Stephen,"chimed in Tim,"that you have a very appealing proposal put to you."

Stephen sighed. "Tim, what have I told you about listening in on private moments?"

"Oh, I apologise. I've interrupted your mating ritual. See you later." The lights on Tim's screen went black.

Stephen looked at Cara, who was trying hard not to laugh. He sighed. "One day I'm going to give that guy a serious reprogramme."

"You are seriously cute when you get flustered."

"Hey, you're the one that flusters me more than anything else."

"You want to continue our mating ritual then?"

Stephen gave her a quick kiss. "Not in front of the break-outs." He nodded towards the window where most of the TPs in the rec area had turned to stare at them.

Suddenly, it was Cara's turn to look flustered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Well, I picked up a follow, a favourite and a review, so thank you to those people!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWO**

Stephen had considered just teleporting into the flat but there was always the possibility that Cara might consider it rude. Of course, the fact he had a key meant he just walked in anyway. Before he could venture too far in though, he was brought up short by the table decoration. There was a beautifully laid out candlelit dinner for two and the smell wafting through from the kitchen suggested that the food that was going to be placed on it was just as lovely.

Cara emerged from her room, wearing a dress. The sort of dress that made Stephen look her up and down just to make sure he took in every detail. He gestured towards the table. "Did you do all this?"

"Nah, I teleported into a gourmet restaurant and swiped it." Stephen gave Cara a shocked look, which caused her to break down in giggles. "What do you think I am?" She gave him a warning gesture as he opened his mouth. "Don't answer that. Yes, I set the table myself, I cooked the meal myself. I'm actually getting pretty good at this whole 'living like a normal person' thing."

"You are,"Stephen agreed. "And you know something? I'm finding it strangely attractive." He pulled her towards him and kissed her.

She responded for a few moments then pulled away. "Okay, I have worked too long and hard on this meal for it to be ruined just because I happen to send you wild."

"You're a victim of your own hotness."

"Aren't I just?" She steered him towards the couch and sat him down. "Stay there. Don't move. Dinner will be five minutes. And I found us something to do for after." She noticed Stephen's expression and rolled her eyes. "Apart from that." She handed him a DVD.

" _Close Encounters of the Third Kind_?"Stephen queried.

"We are not alone."

* * *

The café would always be significant to Russell. It was where he'd met up with Stephen and Cara, John and Astrid, on the blackest day of their lives, when they'd all agreed to stand together against the Founder. It had obviously been significant to Cara too, since, realising that the Ultra funds they'd appropriated wouldn't last forever and having already spent a fair chunk of the money on her apartment, she'd decided to use the rest to buy the place. It gave them a steady income, provided jobs for those of them trying to venture out into the world, offered a safe and secure public place for them to hang out. It gave them all a life outside the Refuge.

None of which really mattered to Russell at that moment, because he'd been left in charge while Cara and Stephen were busy entertaining and he was rushed off his feet.

"Piper, customer!"he shouted, gesturing to one of the many patrons at the counter. "Mike, is the kitchen going to be providing any food any time before midnight?"

"Coming up!"came the shout back, the same shout as the previous three times he'd asked.

The fact that half the patrons were actually Tomorrow People who were there as paying customers rather than staff didn't help Russell's mood. He stopped at the table where Luca and Sophie were slowly drinking a milkshake. With two straws. "Any time you want to help out?"he suggested.

"We're busy,"Luca replied, not taking his eyes off his girlfriend.

"Really busy,"Sophie agreed.

"So much for Cara and Stephen: The Next Generation,"Russell sighed. His gaze alighted on the girl sitting at the counter and he rushed over to her. "Charlotte. Charlie. Have I ever told you how much I like you?"

"What do you want?"she responded in a long-suffering voice.

"Clear some tables?" Russell tried to put on a mournful expression. It didn't work. "I'll pay you."

"Ten bucks?"

"Done." Charlotte slid off her chair and began collecting up used plates and cups.

"Having trouble dealing with the help?"Piper asked Russell.

Russell let out another sigh, just for effect. "Remind me not to complain about never being left in charge again."

* * *

John had made his way through the Refuge to the office, nodding greetings to the Tomorrow People he passed. "Tim?"he asked.

The computer sprang to life. "Ah, John. How may I be of assistance?"

"You're monitoring all the news channels, 911 calls, security agencies, right?"

"That is correct."

"What for?"

"Any evidence of a new break-out."

John considered this for a few moments. "Can you do more than that?"

"What do you suggest?"

"Look out for anything out of the ordinary. Not necessarily to do with us but…something that's going to get people interested."

"It shall be done."

"What's that all about?"asked Astrid.

John looked round. He hadn't even been aware she'd entered the office behind him. "I don't know. Call it a psychic premonition, call it paranoia, call it wanting something interesting to do. I just think there's more we should be looking into."

"Is it me or are you going stir crazy without any secret agencies on your back?"

John grinned. "Yeah, maybe that's it." His expression became serious again. "I hope so, anyway."

Astrid adopted a coy expression. "Well...maybe I could offer you another distraction?"

A ghost of a smile appeared on John's face. "What did you have in mind?"

"Well, you have got a girlfriend who's smart, funny and not all that bad looking."

"True."

"And the Refuge will take care of itself for a bit, so maybe you'd like to take her somewhere?"

"That does sound like a plan, yeah." John puts his arms round her waist and kissed her softly. She smiled and he smiled back. "Come on, let's get out of here."


	3. Chapter 3

**Picked up another follow so thank you to that person!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER THREE**

Astrid woke up the next morning to the feel of soft sheets, with John lying next to her. He had propped himself up on one elbow to watch her sleep and smiled when he saw her eyes were open. "Good morning."

"Morning,"she replied with a slight smile.

"You sleep well? 'Cos we got the best room in the city here."

Astrid sighed. "John, one day you're actually going to treat me to a proper night in a hotel instead of sneaking us in."

"Well, hey, it's either this or my cot at the Refuge. Unless your dad agrees to me staying over…"

"That is a conversation that I am not going to be having any time soon. I'm having a hard enough time convincing him that hanging around with you Tomorrow People isn't going to result in any more drive by shootings."

"I get why that would have put him off us. So, you fancy some breakfast?"

Astrid looked at him in bemusement. "You can't exactly call for room service."

"No, I was going to teleport down to the kitchen and help myself."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "We have got to teach you to give up these Artful Dodger tendencies."

John looked at her in mock hurt. "I always thought it was part of my charm."

"Charm wore off about the fifth time you tried to pull a runner."

John sighed. "So what do you want to do then?"

"Well, if we do want breakfast, I think we need to get dressed and head to the Lair."

"I can't believe Cara renamed the café that."

"Guess she wanted to feel at home."

Astrid moved to get out of the bed but John caught her wrist. "You really feel like getting up yet?" He pulled her closer and kissed her.

"Maybe…another…fifteen…minutes,"Astrid suggested between kisses.

* * *

The Lair was bustling with the morning rush but Cara was standing firm at the centre of it. She had, after all, led a group of underground rebels in a secret war against a ruthless conglomerate. Running a café shouldn't be a problem. "Piper, table three,"she snapped, handing over a tray. "Lucy, takes the orders in the first row. And remember to use a different sheet for each one. We don't want any mix-ups. Has anyone seen Andrew today?"

"He was taking his sister to school,"Piper answered. "He said he'd be in later."

"Typical. Who gave him permission to have a life?"

What was shaping up to be a promising diatribe was halted when Cara suddenly heard Tim's voice in her head. "Cara, you are needed in the Refuge immediately."

Cara looked round cautiously for a moment. Being caught talking to herself would be a surefire way to arouse suspicion. When she replied, it was telepathically. "What's so urgent, Tim?"

"I have been monitoring the sap telecommunications and I have found something unusual."

Cara spoke out loud, knowing the Tomorrow People present would have heard Tim's message. "Piper, can you keep an eye on this place for a while? I'll try to send help as soon as possible."

Anyone who'd heard the comment would have been a bit confused by the fact Cara headed into the kitchen. But they'd probably have been even more confused if they'd seen her teleport out.

* * *

By the time Cara arrived at the office, John, Stephen, Russell, Astrid and Irene were already assembled. Stephen gave a nod of greeting to her before turning his attention to the computer that had summoned them. "So what's the problem, Tim?"

Tim displayed a graphic that seemed to consist of a black screen with a splodge in the middle. Down the side of the image scrolled a series of words and figures that didn't seem to make much sense. "This is a live feed from a geostationary satellite. It has detected something somewhat unexpected."

Irene gave a gasp that sounded oddly like delight. "Oh my gosh! Have you any idea what this is?"

"I think I speak for all of us when I say 'No',"Russell replied.

"They're scanning this object and…it's got propulsion! It's manufactured! But what it's manufactured from…its mass and density and chemical composition…it's like nothing on Earth! And, in case you're not following, I mean that literally."

John gave her a sharp look. "You're not serious."

"Oh, I'm very serious. We could be witnessing a historic turning point in the history of the human race."

"Orders have been given for it to be shot down,"Tim reported.

Irene sagged. "Okay, that figures."

"Should we maybe do something to stop it?"Russell asked.

"Like what?"John asked. "Sabotage the missile systems?"

"That's way outside what we can get away with,"Cara noted. "Especially when there's still some in the senate that know what Jedikiah was up to."

"So, what, we're just going to stand here and watch the first form of intelligent non-terrestrial life we've come across get blasted out of existence?"Irene demanded.

"Watching it's about all we can do at the moment,"Stephen replied.

"Is it me or did it just disappear?"Astrid asked, drawing everyone's attention back to the screen.

"You are correct,"Tim confirmed. "It appears to be operating some sort of cloaking device. However, analysis suggests the vessel is damaged. It is attempting to enter Earth's atmosphere."

"It's crashing?"Stephen asked.

"Where?"John added. "I mean, if you can tell."

"It has now reappeared on sensors,"Tim replied. "Its trajectory will take it into the Pacific."

"But it's going to be shot down?"Russell checked.

"No. It is not in international airspace. It has entered the territory of an island nation who have refused to respond to requests to assist in the craft's destruction."

The graphic showed the craft crash into one of the Pacific islands. "Well, whatever it is, it's down,"John noted.

"I don't want to be the one to say this,"Astrid interjected,"but…are we saying this thing's alien?"

The words she'd spoken the previous night sprung to Cara's mind, with a sudden different meaning. "We are not alone."


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Stephen and Irene had adjourned to the Refuge's laboratory after what they had witnessed in the office. Irene was looking over a mixture of recorded and live images from the satellite intercept. Stephen was more reticient. "Are you absolutely sure that what we saw was alien?"

Irene mused this over. "Mysterious craft from space with advanced technology crashlands? Can you think of any other explanation?"

Stephen hesitated as he considered the matter. "No,"he admitted at last.

Irene gestured to the scans she was looking at. "Plus there's a whole load of scientific evidence that I won't bother telling you because you wouldn't understand it."

"Thanks,"Stephen replied sarcastically.

"No problem!"Irene responded, apparently genuinely. "So, do you want to check it out?"

Stephen tried to follow her train of thought. "What do you mean?"

"Are you going to go to the island? Have a look?"

Stephen was surprised at the suggestion. "You think we should?"

"It's a subject of great scientific curiosity."

"Yeah, but not for us. I mean, there's government and agencies and things that deal with this sort of thing."

"The biggest event in the history of humankind and you want to trust it to governments and agencies?"

Stephen had to admit she had a point. "Well, what if they're invaders or something?"

"I think we already established they crashed,"Irene pointed out. "Maybe if we find out some more about this island where it landed, we could have a better idea of what's going on."

* * *

"The island is part of a country known as Malosa,"Tim explained, once Stephen, Cara, John, Irene, Russell and Astrid were again assembled in the office. "It is ruled by a dictator known as General Papa Minn." Tim's screen displayed a picture of an Afro-Carribean man wearing a flamboyant but practical military uniform. "It has been the subject of numerous sanctions by the United Nations and other governments. During his twenty years in power, Papa Minn has conducted numerous wars of aggression against neighbouring countries in order to increase his territory."

"Well, that's great,"Russell sighed. "The human charged with making first contact with aliens. And he's an idiot."

"He's worse than that,"Cara pointed out.

"He's not the person I'd trust with a job like that,"John agreed.

"But then who should be doing it?"Astrid asked. "Us?"

"That's what we've got to decide,"Stephen told her.

"Could we even get there?"Astrid asked. "I mean, the booster belts…"

"…would handle a trip to the Carribbean no problem,"Irene replied. "We could go there now if we wanted."

"Well, then let's get packing!"Russell enthused. "I could do with a trip to sunnier climes and if it means we get to meet some beautiful alien babes who want to be shown how us Earthmen do things…"

"That's not what this is about,"Cara argued. "This could be a good thing for us. When the media get wind of it, the whole world's going to be on alien alert. They're not going to be paying attention to break-outs. If we go in there and end up in the middle of the biggest story of the millennium, we're risking being exposed."

"Cara's right,"John agreed. "This whole thing's too dangerous. We've got a bunch of advanced aliens on one hand and a crazed warmonger on the other. I don't think we should take our people in there until we know exactly what we're dealing with."

Stephen nodded, considering. "Do I need to ask, Irene?"

"The greatest scientific and social development that's likely to happen in our lifetime?"Irene asked. "If I had a chance to be a part of that and didn't take it, I'd never forgive myself."

"You got an opinion, Astrid?"

Astrid shifted uncomfortably. "Well…I'm not really a part of this."

Stephen gave her a reassuring smile. "You think we'd go and leave you behind?"

Astrid smiled gratefully. "I dunno, this is something I'd never have even had a chance to be involved in if I wasn't friends with you. I'd like to take a look but…you all come first. I don't want to do anything that would put you at risk."

Stephen nodded. "We don't know what's going on, we don't know what we'd be walking into. We'll hold off for now. Tim, keep monitoring both the news and security channels and record any information on the landing. If there's anything we need to know…tell us."


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

It was the following morning when Stephen went into the rec area of the Refuge to find everyone's attention focused on the television screen. More so than usual. They were actually being quiet. He looked around for anyone he was close to and found Russell standing at the back of the group. "Cat's out of the bag, man,"Russell told him quietly.

Stephen turned his attention to the screen. It was showing a long distance view of a group of planes over an ocean. He moved to stand behind the sofa where Sophie, Luca, Andrew and Charlotte were sitting. "What's going on?"

"UFO landing, believe it or not,"Luca told him.

"UFO?" Stephen affected an air of credulity. "Come on, are people still falling for that?"

"It's what they say,"Andrew argued.

"The government probably tried to keep it quiet,"Charlotte filled him in. "But apparently some amateur astronomers saw it and got together on the internet to share what they'd seen and worked out where it landed. Then they got in touch with the news people, sent them all sorts of pictures and videos. It ended up somewhere called Mallosa."

"Malosa,"Sophie corrected. "It's a Pacific Island dictatorship. They've tried to get in touch with the authorities there but they're not getting an answer. So NATO have sent a fleet out there."

"That's where the planes are from?"Stephen asked.

Luca nodded. "They got launched from an aircraft carrier. They're going to do a fly-by of the island. We should be getting some pictures real soon."

It was clear to Stephen that any hope of keeping the situation under wraps was rapidly disappearing. He sent out a telepathic message. "Cara, John, Irene, come to the rec room."

A moment later, the three teleported in…or rather the four, since John had brought Astrid with him. "What's going on?"Cara asked.

"UFO,"Luca answered again.

Cara looking quizzically at Stephen, who shook his head slightly. It wasn't the time for an in depth discussion.

Attention was drawn by the TV commentator. "And the four reconnaissance planes are making their final descent now. We should be getting the pictures back from them any second…" Suddenly, there was a flash of light in the distance. One by one, the four planes were engulfed in beams of light and disappeared. The reporter's voice seemed to take on a shocked edge underneath the attempt at neutral reporting. "And look at that! That is beyond anything we have even seen before! And we are just getting confirmation that we have lost all contact with and all radar trace of the four planes…"

Stephen looked at his friends. All of them wore shocked expression.

And then the picture disappeared to be replaced by the image of the man whose picture Tim had shown them. General Papa Minn. "You have just witnessed the military might of Malosa. Be warned. Anyone who infringes our territory will suffer the same fate. We care nothing for your sanctions and your blockades. None can stand against us. You will hear more from me in the weeks to come."

* * *

"It was aliens, wasn't it?"Russell asked, once the six of them had retreated to the relative privacy of the laboratory. "That thing that destroyed the fighters: Definitely looked alien."

"But what about that message?"Astrid asked. "That definitely looked like a human."

"It was Papa Minn,"confirmed Tim, via his link to the lab computer. "The message was not scheduled by the news broadcasters. It appeared on all channels broadcasting images of the incident at Malosa, overriding the existing signal. It also interrupted a few music channels."

"So, the question is,"Irene mused,"is he working with the aliens or for them?"

Stephen looked around. "Anyone changed their opinion of what we should do?"

"Whatever's going on, it's pretty hardcore,"Cara noted. "We might think we're different, separate, but… this is our world too. We need to take an interest in it."

"Someone needs to find out what's happening there,"John agreed. "And much as I hate to say it, at the moment, we're the only people that stand a chance of getting in there."

Stephen nodded. "Irene, sorry to do this to you, but you're going to have to sit this one out."

Irene looked like she'd just been told she couldn't go out to play. "You really want me to ignore something as scientifically important as this?"

"We'll get you all the information we can, you can analyse it here. But I need you at the Refuge for this one. You and Russell."

"Woah, wait, back up a bit,"Russell interrupted. "How come I'm one of the substitutes?"

"Maybe because we need someone whose idea of diplomacy doesn't consist of asking where the hookers are,"Cara suggested.

"And maybe because we might need back-up,"Stephen added. "Because this could be dangerous."

* * *

It took a fair bit of time to get the belts and stun guns needed for the trip, but eventually the group were assembled in the office: Stephen, Cara, John, Luca and Sophie were strapping on booster belts, while Astrid was wearing a matter transporter belt. Stephen looked at the two youngsters uncertainly. "You're sure you're all right to come?"

"You think I'm going to miss out on this?"Luca asked.

"It is quite historical,"Sophie agreed.

Stephen looked at Cara, who just rolled her eyes. "Why not?"she asked wearily.

"Just make sure you come back in one piece,"Irene warned them. "I don't want to be left wondering what happened."

"Neither do I,"Russell added. "Just because you're worried I'll flirt with them…"

"We promise to bring you back their phone numbers,"Astrid told him.

"So, are we ready for this?"John asked.

Stephen nodded and took his place with the others. "Okay, Tim. Next stop: Malosa."


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Several thousand miles away, the six youngsters popped into existence with a flash of light. Astrid looked around. "Sunnier climes."

"Where exactly are we?"Luca asked.

"I got Tim to do some research on the island where the spaceship crashed,"Stephen explained. "Turns out there's an airfield there."

Sophie looked around. They were standing in a dense jungle. "This isn't an airfield,"she said, slightly redundantly.

"No,"Stephen confirmed. "The airfield is…" He paused, looking confused. "Tim, which way's the airfield?"

"Behind you,"came Tim's telepathic response.

Stephen pushed through the trees, leading the way until they found themselves overlooking a large concrete space. Aircraft were dotted around and ground crew were at work, while armed soldiers provided security. There were also a number of hangars around the sides. "Now that's an airfield,"Luca agreed.

"But where's the spaceship?"John wondered.

"Probably in one of those hangars,"Cara suggested.

"Yeah, but which one?"

"We'll have to search,"Stephen decided. "Cara, you take Luca and Sophie and search from that end. John, Astrid and I will take the other. Any questions?" Everyone shook their heads. And then teleported.

* * *

Stephen, John and Astrid arrived at their designated end of the airfield. Stephen led the way towards one of the hangars, motioning for the others to stay quiet. The first two they checked contained nothing more interesting than spare aeroplane parts, which were presumably used for maintenance. But in the third one, they hit the jackpot. In the centre of the hangar was an object best described as disc-shaped. It took up most of the floor space but there was still room for people to move around it and the place was packed with engineers and aircraft crew. They seemed to be doing some sort of work on the craft…at least that was what it appeared they were doing at first. But it quickly became clear they were doing something else.

"They're taking it apart,"John realised, a moment after Stephen had done so.

"But why?"Astrid asked.

"For the technology?"Stephen suggested. "Whatever shot down those planes must have come from somewhere."

"But what about the crew of the ship?"Astrid wondered. "There must have been someone onboard."

"Maybe they were all killed on impact,"John suggested.

At that moment, a group of the security soldiers saw them. Giving a shout of warning, they aimed their rifles and fired shots. The trio took cover behind some discarded machinery, drawing their stun guns as they did so. John and Stephen returned fire at the soldiers. "We're not going to be able to hold them off for long,"John pointed out.

"We need to get out of here,"Stephen agreed.

"Teleport?"Astrid suggested.

"Good idea,"Stephen commented. "I'll let you know when I've got a moment."

* * *

Cara, Sophie and Luca had been making a similar journey through the hangars at the other end of the airfield. Cara was just searching one empty building when her attention was drawn by Sophie. "Cara! I think you'd better take a look at this."

Cara and Luca joined her and both started back in shock at what she had found. The hangar was full of people…yet not people. True, their bodies were perfectly proportioned to humans, although they seemed slightly shorter with the tallest being around five foot six. But it was their skin that marked them out as non-human: Red and sallow. There was around fifteen to twenty of them, huddled around on the floor and looking at the three newcomers with scared eyes. "Aliens,"Luca gasped.

Cara nodded. "But they don't look like an invading army. They look like…refugees? Prisoners? _Slaves_?" Something inside her felt a sudden kinship with the aliens. She knew what it was like to be hiding and afraid. "It's all right,"she said, as gently as she could manage. "We're not going to hurt you."

"Cara!"Sophie shouted again. Two soldiers had appeared further along the strip and were running towards them. The three Tomorrow People fired their stun guns, downing the pair, but an alarm had obviously been raised. More were coming.

Cara pushed the two youngsters into the hangar, taking cover behind the door as she trained her stun gun on the approaching soldiers. "You two, teleport,"she ordered.

She expected them to disappear but instead, after a pause, Luca stared at her, stricken. "I can't!"

"Neither can I,"Sophie realised.

Cara knew that stress could sometimes make teleporting different, and the pair were still fairly new break-outs. She grasped their hands. "All right, come on." But what happened next shook her resolve. She looked at them with sudden concern. "I can't teleport either."

* * *

John, Stephen and Astrid blinked into existence at the point where they had first overlooked the airfield. From there, they could see soldiers milling around. "Looks like the place is on full alert,"Astrid noted.

"Seeing us must have scared them,"John agreed.

"But if they're looking for us, they could find the others."

"Cara's sensible enough to get them out of there."

Astrid didn't seem convinced. "Then where are they?"

John considered the point, then turned to Stephen. "Better give them a nudge."

Stephen sent out a telepathic message. "Cara, Luca, you need to get out of there." But before he could get an answer, there was an explosion from the end of the airfield where Cara's group had been.

"What was that?"Astrid asked.

"It looked like some sort of grenade,"John noted.

"I don't think it was to do with us,"Stephen realised. "I mean, we're here. So..."

"So they were throwing it at someone else,"John concluded.

Stephen continued to call out telepathically. "Cara, Luca, Sophie, are you all right?" He looked at John with mounting fear. "I can't hear anything. They're not there."

"But what does that mean?"Astrid wondered.

John gave the grim answer. "It means they're dead."


	7. Chapter 7

**Picked up another follow, so thank you to that person!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER SEVEN**

John, Stephen and Astrid teleported back into the Refuge's rec room. TPs came crowding around them instantly. "What happened?"Russell asked. "We were watching the news but we didn't hear anything."

John looked askance at Stephen but the younger man remained silent. "The spaceship's there,"John said. "We saw it."

"Unreal!"Russell exclaimed enthusiastically. Then he realised the mood of the trio. "Where are the others?"

"They're dead,"Stephen said bluntly. "Cara, Luca and Sophie…they're all dead."

There was a shocked murmuring from the assembled Tomorrow People. "But…they can't be!"Charlotte protested.

"Why not?"Stephen snapped. "You think we're immortal? We die the same as everyone else if we get ourselves in stupid situations that we can't handle."

"Stephen, don't take it out on her,"Astrid insisted.

John gave Charlotte a hug, looking around at all the other horrified faces in the room. "Stephen, we need to get everyone together. I don't know, make some sort of memorial…"

"You do it,"Stephen retorted, heading out of the room.

Astrid went after him. "Stephen, people need you here."

"Other people need me more,"Stephen replied. "I don't know how to contact Cara and Sophie's family but at least I can tell Mum."

Astrid fell silent, realising how hard that would be. "I can come with you?"she offered.

Stephen shook his head. "Stay here. Help John." Before she could protest any further, he'd teleported.

John looked at his friend. "Russell, can you help spread the word?"

Russell nodded. "Yeah. Sure, man. I can do that."

* * *

It felt strange for Stephen to be walking into the house. It was supposed to still be his home, but with the Refuge and Cara's flat as alternatives he rarely spent any time there. He wasn't sure how much time Luca spent there either. He wouldn't spend any there now.

Marla looked round at his entrance. "Stephen, it's so good to see you! How have you been?" She stopped, as though sensing his mood. "Stephen, what's going on?"

He felt her probing at his thoughts but pushed her out. He wanted to tell her the proper way. "Mum, have you been watching the news? About that…spaceship?"

"The one they think landed in the Carribean? That those planes were shot down trying to find?"

"Yes. We…we went there. To Malosa."

Marla looked confused. "Who's we?"

"The Tomorrow People. Me, John, Astrid, others…" He hesitated before delivering the news. "Luca didn't come back. Neither did Cara or Sophie."

"Didn't come back?"Marla repeated. "What happened?"

"We don't know. There…there was an explosion. We tried to talk to them afterwards, we tried to contact them but…they weren't there."

Marla was silent for a moment, letting the news sink in. "That means he's dead."

Stephen nodded.

Marla swept the contents of a table onto the floor. "Damn it, Stephen! You had to do it, didn't you? You had to. Just like your father. I try my best to keep this family safe but you just go running headlong into danger. And you take Luca with you…and now you've killed him."

"Mum, I'm sorry,"Stephen said quietly.

"Just get out, Stephen. I don't want to look at you."

* * *

At that moment, many thousands of miles away, unaware she was causing such consternation, Cara opened her eyes.

She was in the same hangar that they'd been investigating when the soldiers had appeared. She rolled over and looked around, seeing Luca and Sophie lying nearby. She crawled over and checked on them. They had been knocked out by the explosion, like she had, but they were unharmed. She shook them in turn. "Sophie, Luca, come on, wake up."

Slowly, the two youngsters recovered. "Cara, what's going on?"Sophie asked.

"I don't know." Cara looked up at the heavy metal doors they'd come in by. "I think we're locked in."

"But we can just teleport out, right?"Luca asked.

"I don't know." Cara remembered what else they'd seen before the soldiers arrived. She looked round, almost wondering if she'd dreamt it, but the aliens were still there. They were on their feet now, staring at them, but keeping their distance. "We've got company."

The three Tomorrow People stood up. Luca concentrated hard. "I still can't teleport."

"No." Cara closed her eyes a moment, trying to focus her telepathy. "Stephen? Stephen, can you hear me? John, Russell, Irene? Anyone?"

"What did those soldiers do to us?"Sophie wondered.

"It was not the soldiers,"one of the aliens said quietly. "It was us."

Cara took an angry step towards them. "What have you done?"

"Please, believe me, we meant no harm. We are Thargons. I am Jarrel. You are telepaths? The ones who can't kill?"

"Kill, no,"Cara agreed. "But I'm going to give you a whole lot of pain if you don't explain."

"It is…our biology. We give off a vibration that blocks your powers. It is not permanent but you cannot use them while you are around us. Telepathic races shun us for that reason."

"There are other races like us?"Cara asked. "With powers like us?"

"Many."

"And I thought we were special,"Luca sighed.

"But what does it mean?"Sophie asked.

"It means we can't teleport, can't call the others, can't TK blast,"Cara replied. "But still can't kill. Looks like all the marks are against us. Jarrel, why did you come here?"

"We crashed. We hoped the people here would help us. Instead, they keep us prisoner, force us to show them how to use our technology."

"But why?"Cara persisted. "Who's doing this?"

Before she could press the point, the door swung open. Soldiers formed an honour guard for an imposing figure. The face was familiar, even though Cara had never seen him in person before. "I am Papa Minn. You are on my island. You will explain. And if I do not like the explanation, you will die."


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER EIGHT**

"We came here to look for the spaceship!"Cara blurted out.

Papa Minn looked at her suspiciously. "How did you know about it?"

"We saw it on the news,"Luca put in. "Seriously, everyone's talking about it."

"We were on holiday in Costa Rica,"Cara continued. "We were close by so we hired a motorboat, thought we'd come out here and have a look. I mean, a spaceship? That's big news, right?"

Papa Minn still seemed suspicious. "Where is your boat?"

"We crashed it on the rocks,"Sophie claimed. "It sank. We barely made it to shore."

Papa Minn looked at them closely. Then he turned to the soldiers. "They have no value. Kill them."

"No, wait,"Jarrel interjected. He stepped forward. "Spare them and we will help you. We will do everything you have asked. We will repair our technology and show you how to use it."

There was a fanatical gleam in Papa Minn's eyes. "You will give your technology to me? You will help me become master of the world?"

"Yes. We will help you take your rightful place."

"Papa Minn. Master of the world." The dictator seemed to be talking to himself, lost in dreams of his glorious future. As if suddenly coming to, he turned to the three Tomorrow People. "You. You will help them. You will do everything they say. And you will live. Remember, all of you will live so long as you obey me!" He stalked out, the soldiers following him. The metal doors slammed shut behind them.

"I suppose we should thank you,"Cara noted. "Do you have any reason for helping us?"

"Perhaps if we help you, you can help us,"Jarrel suggested. "All we want to do is leave here. You have friends? Friends with powers?"

"Yes,"Cara confirmed. "But we don't know where they are. We don't even know if they're alive."

* * *

Astrid found Stephen sitting on his cot in his room at the Refuge. She hadn't even known he'd returned. She hovered in the doorway, not sure if she was intruding. "How did it go with your mum?"she asked.

"About as well as you'd expect,"he retorted.

"It wasn't your fault."

"Wasn't it?" Stephen got to his feet, pacing angrily. "I took Luca there, I put him in danger. I convinced myself that we were invincible. And you know the worst thing of all? I miss Cara. More than I miss him. She's been in my head as long as this has been going on and suddenly…she's not there. I can't hear her. And that is killing me."

Astrid took his hands. "Stephen, I understand. I'm here for you."

Stephen pulled away. "I just want to be left alone."

"You can't. Stephen, you're the leader here. They're looking to you for guidance."

"Someone else can be the Chosen One this time. I'm all out of platitudes."

* * *

John looked around the rec room. All eyes seemed to be on him. He didn't have a clue what to do. When he'd been the Tomorrow People's leader, his command style had largely consisted of curt orders and mission statements. But Stephen had led them to expect more, a leader that looked after them as people. And Stephen wasn't doing that. Which meant someone else had to.

He sat down next to Charlotte. He had a connection with her, at least. "How are you feeling?"he asked softly.

"Sad,"she replied quietly. "I thought…I thought with Jedikiah gone, and the Founder, we were all safe. But we're not, are we?"

"World's a scary place,"John admitted. "And somehow we seem to have got into the habit of going to the scariest parts."

"Are you saying that we shouldn't? That Stephen's wrong about us using our powers to help people?"

"No, I'm not saying that." John was surprised at how quickly the words came. Once he was the first to recommend continuing to hide away. Somehow Stephen had cured him of that. "I guess what I'm saying is…there are risks to what we do. And sometimes those risks don't come off. And people pay the price."

Russell entered, carrying a large bottle of whiskey. All eyes turned to him. "This is a wake, people,"he told them. "We should at least get some decent booze. Mike, hand out the glasses." The Tomorrow People present took the glasses and Russell poured small amounts into them before raising his own. "Cara, Luca and Sophie. Absent friends."

"Absent friends,"the others chorused. They drank and the gathering split up into relaxed chats.

John went over to Russell. "Good work."

"There are few things in life that can't be solved with a single malt. Sadly, I think Malosa might be one of them."

"Yeah. Malosa."

Russell stared hard at John. "You want to go back there, don't you?"

"We started something, we should finish it. But Stephen needs to be the one to decide."

"Not sure there's much chance of that,"Astrid replied as she joined them. "At the moment he's not doing conversations with anyone."

* * *

"Do you fancy some company?"

Stephen, who had resumed his position on the bed, looked round at the voice. Irene was standing in the doorway. He gestured to the place next to him. "Help yourself."

Irene sat down as directed. "A lot of people are in shock,"she noted. "We've lost people before but we thought the worst was over. And Cara…she's been a part of this place for so long, she seemed unkillable."

"Bet you're glad you didn't go now."

"Well, I'm glad I didn't get killed. But…I dunno. I'm still curious. There's something going on in Malosa like nothing anyone else has experienced before. I'm not saying it's worth dying for but I'd still like to take a look."

Stephen gave a slight laugh. "Does anything ever get you down?"

"I try not to let it. I just wish you weren't so down."

"Why do you care?"

"Well, you did save my life one time."

Stephen nodded. "That's true."

"It kinda makes me…care what happens to yours."

Stephen looked at her for a moment…and then he kissed her, lunging forward and kissing her full on the lips. He drew back, guaging her response. She seemed shocked but not unappreciative. He kissed her again and this time she responded to it, kissing him back. He pushed her down on the bed, straddling her, breaking the kiss long enough to pull his shirt off. He paused, giving her the chance to stop what was happening. She looked up at him, expectantly, and that was the last moment they could have turned back. He kissed her again, hungrily, undressing her and himself, the need to have a warm body against his pushing away any sense or reason.


	9. Chapter 9

**Well, since the last chapter I've picked up a couple more follows and favourites and even a review, so big thank you to those people!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER NINE**

When Stephen woke up the next morning and felt someone next to him, for a second he thought it was Cara and felt content. Then he remembered and all the feelings came flooding back…feelings of guilt, of loss…of shame. Irene was lying across him, a reminder of what he'd done the previous night. She'd deserved better than that. He liked Irene, liked her enough that he shouldn't have used her.

Irene stirred in his arms and slowly pulled away from him. She retrieved her glasses from the table next to the bed and put them on, looking at him for a moment. "I guess we should get dressed,"she said awkwardly.

Stephen nodded. "That's probably a good idea." He turned away from her, giving her a bit of privacy as she slipped out of bed and began retrieving her clothes, while simultaneously pulling his own boxers back on.

John appeared in the doorway. "Stephen, we need to…" He stopped, seeing Stephen and Irene sat on opposite sides of the bed, wearing only their underwear, and quickly understanding what had happened. "Sorry to interrupt,"he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, then he turned and left.

Stephen quickly pulled on the rest of his clothes and raced after John, catching up with him in the corridor outside. "John, wait."

John looked at him angrily. "That's it, is it? Cara's dead so you have sex with Irene?"

Stephen bristled at the implication. "Well who did you have sex with last night then?"

"That's different."

"Yeah, because you're above criticism."

"I knew Cara a hell of a lot longer than you."

"And she never felt one tenth for you that she did for me. That's what you're really upset about, isn't it? And you use Astrid as a consolation prize because you can't face it."

John punched him then, hard enough to send him staggering into the wall. He grabbed Stephen by the back of the neck but Stephen rammed his elbow hard into John's stomach, twisted and punched him. John punched back instantly, striking Stephen in the chest before delivering an uppercut. He grabbed at him again but Stephen kicked him in the chest, then, as he bent double, he delivered another punch to the side of his head. John grabbed Stephen's fists as he went to punch him again and head butted him, sending him staggering back into the wall. He balled a fist to punch him again.

"Stop it!" The voice was Astrid's. She was standing a few feet away, having obviously come up to them during the fight. Irene was standing a few yards behind her but made no effort to get involved, just watching. Astrid stormed up to the pair angrily. "Is this the Tomorrow People? Is this the future of the human race? All your powers and you still end up brawling in the playground rather than dealing with your feelings? We all lost friends yesterday. You're supposed to be the leaders, you're supposed to show us how to react, not…not do this."

The two of them looked at each other, slightly shame-faced. "We need to do something about Malosa," John announced awkwardly.

Stephen nodded. "Yeah. Let's do that."

* * *

Cara was marched towards Papa Minn's office by a group of soldiers. She'd hoped she'd have the opportunity to get away from the Thargons, so that she could teleport clear... or at least contact Stephen and John, since she wasn't keen on the idea of leaving Sophie and Luca behind. But instead, Jarrel had been brought along with her and her powers remained suppressed.

The dictator stood up as they were marched through the door and regarded them both with the air of someone inspecting a new purchase. "Good. Good. You have come, as I instructed you. You are the leaders of your groups but now you all serve me."

"I have already agreed to do as you say, General,"Jarrel noted.

Papa Minn's attention shifted to Cara. "And you? Do you also agree to serve me?"

"I don't really have a choice, do I?"Cara asked. "You're clearly in charge."

Papa Minn gave a deep laugh. "Oh! One with spirit! You do not like that I am in charge, do you? You resent it. You would probably resist if you had the chance. But there's no chance. You know that and it eats you up from the inside. One who likes to lead is forced to serve, when faced with a superior will."

"Why do you think you're so superior?"Cara demanded. "Why do you want to take over the world?"

"I rule these islands because I have the power!"Papa Minn snarled. "I maintain control with a strong hand. But other countries do not accept that. Even my neighbours seek to oppose me. But now I have the opportunity to show them how strong I really am. The world will bend before the might of Papa Minn."

* * *

John and Stephen walked together into the lab where Russell and Mike were watching the monitors. Russell looked them up and down, noticing the bruises they carried from their altercation in the corridor. "Let me guess, we should see the other guys, right?"

"No other guys,"Stephen answered, slightly awkwardly. "Just us."

Russell stared at them for a moment, then gestured to the screens. "Since their flyover went bust, the world governments have taken to using spy satellites to keep tabs on Malosa. Tim cut into the feed."

"And added a zoom function,"Mike added. "Tim?"

"Yes, of course,"came Tim's response. "I'll see how close I can get."

The picture zoomed in from a view of the island until it was clearly focusing on the airfield. John and Stephen both moved closer to it. They could see people milling around the various hangars but it was too far away to make out details. "Well, there's definitely something going on,"John noted.

Stephen gestured. "That's the hangar we checked before, right? Where the spaceship was?"

"That's right."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but looks like that's where most of the action is." He looked at John, who gave a nod of agreement. "So, looks like Papa Minn hasn't finished. Not by a long shot."


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you for the review!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TEN**

Cara was doing her best not to show how exhausted she was. Malosan soldiers were standing guard over them and she had a feeling they wouldn't be sympathetic to any weakness. She stole a glance over at Sophie. Her sister was tiring and Luca was having to help her with most things. She wished she'd never brought her.

"What are we doing here?"she asked quietly to Jarrel.

Jarrel didn't look round, instead speaking out of the corner of his mouth. "We are removing all the weapons from the ship. Papa Minn intends to use them in a variety of ways. Some will be installed here, some will be installed on his own planes. Some he intends to have his scientists analyse so he can try and duplicate them."

Cara tried hard not to show any outward signs of the horror she felt. An army of Malosan troops, armed with alien weapons and with Papa Minn directing them, was the stuff of nightmares. "What about the ship? Can it still fly?"

"It doesn't need the weapons to be spaceworthy. Our next job after this is to repair the ship. I think he believes his enemies will find it intimidating."

"Would it take you long?"

"Not long. Why?"

Cara gave a ghost of a smile. "I'm getting an idea."

Her thoughts were interrupted by a bark from one of the soldiers. "Work shift is over. Curfew begins. Return to your hangar. If you do not comply, you will be shot."

* * *

Stephen walked into the lab. As he'd expected, Irene was standing in front of the monitor. He coughed awkwardly and went to stand by her. "Seen anything interesting?"

Irene almost looked amused. "That's something of a loaded question."

Stephen reddened slightly. "I guess we need to talk."

"Hmm. I haven't actually had any experience on the protocol of what you say to someone you've slept with." She watched Stephen and saw the minute reaction in his face. "Yep, you picked up on that subtext."

"I'm sorry,"Stephen sighed.

"That's okay. I did kind of hope it would be you and I did kind of enjoy it. And I do know it was just a comfort thing. And you should know that it doesn't mean you didn't love her."

Stephen looked at her with something approaching wonder. "Were you in my head just then?"

"Nope. Don't need to be telepathic to be able to predict that one. So, how did I do?"

Stephen smiled. "Good talk. No-one would ever know it was your first time."

"Compliment appreciated. And to answer your original question, there's nothing new scientifically, but Russell and Mike were monitoring the news channels…and there's something that everyone should really see."

* * *

The television in the rec room was dominated by an image of Papa Minn. He had once more managed to hijack television broadcasts. "The world has seen the power I hold over those who dare to intrude on my territory. And anyone who does likewise will suffer the same fate. But now…now I seek to expand my control, as is my right. My message is for the neighbouring states of Solopus and Foroa. You have twenty-four hours to stand down your armies and surrender your territory to me. If you do not, then the power at my command will be turned upon you."

Stephen paused the recording and looked round at the crowd of Tomorrow People. "Papa Minn's starting small,"Russell remarked.

"But he's thinking big,"Stephen pointed out.

"He won't stop at two small island states,"John agreed. "He'll keep going. He'll target bigger and bigger countries."

"He wants the entire world,"Astrid finished.

"But what's that got to do with us?"Andrew demanded.

Stephen gave him a sceptical look. "You got somewhere else to live?"

"You want us to go back there, don't you?"Piper asked.

"How many of us?"Charlotte wondered.

"As many as we need,"Stephen answered.

"Last time you went out there, half the people that went with you got killed,"Andrew persisted. "What, do you want the rest of us to get killed too?"

"We know what to expect this time,"John argued. "We'll make a plan, we won't go in unless we've all got a chance of coming out alive."

Andrew didn't seem convinced. "Yeah, sure."

"Now listen to me, all of you,"Stephen said loudly. "I lost people I loved out in Malosa. I don't want to go back there either. But we are the future of humanity. We are the Tomorrow People. And we need to decide what that future's going to be. We didn't ask for this but we've got it. So, are we going to let the world be run by people like Papa Minn? Or are we going to guide it into a better future, show people that there's still some decency out there?"

Irene took a step forward. "Well, I'm in."

Astrid copied her. "Me too."

Russell joined them. "And me."

Stephen looked around as more and more people stepped forward: Mike, Charlotte, Lucy, Piper, Troy. And finally, if somewhat reluctantly, Andrew. Stephen smiled. And then he collapsed to his knees in pain.

 _The air was foul, slick with sweat. The atmosphere was hot. Faces swam into view. Alien faces, their skin red and blotchy, but human faces too, familiar ones. All crowded in, taking up the thin oxygen…_

Stephen gave a gasp and then he was back in the Refuge. Astrid crouched by his side, taking his shoulders gently. "Stephen, what's wrong?"

Slowly, Stephen stood up. "I think…I think it was Cara."

John stared at him, not quite able to believe it. "What do you mean?"

"You remember when I had a suppression band on? She managed to link with me somehow despite it, she knew I was in danger. This felt like that. I think something's happened to her that means she can't use her powers. That's why we couldn't hear her."

John slowly began to smile. "Then that means…"

Stephen grinned. "She's alive, John! Sophie and Luca too, I think!" They double high-fived each other in delight.

Russell looked on, bemused. "Well…guess that gives us another good reason to go back."


	11. Chapter 11

**Thank you for the review!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER ELEVEN**

A council of war was being held in the Refuge's briefing room. Stephen had laid out a map on the table, showing the island chain with Malosa, Solopus and Foroa all marked. "Papa Minn's played his hand," Stephen explained. "He thinks because he's got all this alien stuff he's invincible. So he doesn't care who he upsets."

"But he's just got one spaceship,"Russell realised. "There can't be much stuff onboard."

"Right. So we need to take what he's got away from him."

"That means going back to the island,"Astrid concluded.

"But Papa Minn's got an army to back him up,"John pointed out. "If we go in full force, we're going to have all the Malosans after us."

Stephen nodded in agreement. "So we don't go in full force. We take a small group and go in quietly, put all his alien tech out of action."

"That's not gonna be enough to finish him off,"Mike argued.

"No. We need an army of our own to do that." Stephen pointed to the map. "The armies of Solopus and Foroa."

John smiled as realisation dawned. "We'll give him his war all right. But without his advantage."

"That's crazy,"Andrew argued. "How are we going to get Solopus and Foroa to do what we want?"

"Well, we're risking exposure,"Stephen admitted. "But I'm pretty sure we'll find ways to convince them."

Andrew shook his head. "It's never going to work."

"Well you'd better hope it does. Because you're going to Foroa with Piper and Lucy. Russell, you, Mike and Charlotte will go to Solopus."

"Charlotte?"John questioned.

Stephen looked at the girl. "She's got a face that makes people trust her. Gonna need it with these two along. You okay with that, Charlie?"

Charlotte gave a nervous smile. "I'm okay."

Stephen turned to John. "Which leaves you, me, Astrid and Irene going to Malosa."

"Me?"Irene asked.

"You wanted to have a look at an alien spaceship. And it'll help to have someone along that understands the science stuff."

"And Astrid?"John asked.

"If I'm right, there's something on that island that stops us using our powers. Having a normal human along could be useful." Stephen looked over his teammates. "We need to put any of Papa Minn's alien weapons out of action, find Cara, Luca and Sophie and get out of there. Anyone got a problem with that?" They all shook their heads. "Okay. Troy, you're in charge here until we get back."

* * *

Cara and the rest of the group were marched back into the hangar. They sank to the ground, exhausted. Cara looked around, making sure the Malosans had closed the doors and were out of earshot. "We have to get out of here."

"Sounds great,"Sophie sighed. "Any ideas?"

"Actually, yes. I have got one."

"Escape from here is impossible,"Jarrel protested.

"If you had access to your ship,"Cara persisted,"how long would it take you to get it operational and get out of here?"

"Not long,"Jarrel admitted. "But it would take most of one of your hours."

"Then all we need to do is seize your ship and hold it that long. Then you can leave."

"But what about us?"Luca asked. "Do we go with them?"

"We don't need to. Once the Thargons have left, we'll be able to contact the Refuge telepathically and they can use the belts to teleport us back."

"It…could work,"Jarrel agreed cautiously.

"You bet it could,"Cara confirmed. "So, now all we need to do is get out of this hangar. And hope nothing unexpected happens."


	12. Chapter 12

**Thank you for the review!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER TWELVE**

John, Stephen, Astrid and Irene teleported into existence on the hillside overlooking the airfield. "Two groups,"Stephen announced.

John shot him a sceptical sideways look. "Yeah, because that worked so well before."

"Astrid and Irene,"Stephen continued, ignoring the interruption,"head to the hangar where we found the ship. Look it over, see if there's anything Papa Minn's using and put it out of action."

"Not sure I'm up for identifying the components of an alien spaceship,"Irene mused. "But I'll give it a shot."

"What about us?"John asked.

"We'll look for Cara, Luca and Sophie,"Stephen replied.

"Where do you think we should start?"

"The main building?"

* * *

Astrid and Irene teleported into the hangar. Irene stared up at the craft in front of her agog. "What do you make of it?"Astrid asked.

Irene was still gaping. "It's beautiful."

"Not exactly what I meant."

Irene shook her head, trying to focus. "They're taking it apart. The Malosans, I assume. Trying to figure out how it works, I suppose. Or maybe taking what's useful to them."

"Is there anything here that the Malosans would be interested in?"

"I don't think so. They seem to have removed everything they were bothered about."

"So should we leave?"

Irene shook her head. "No. I want to look this over properly."

* * *

Papa Minn looked over the report his aide was bringing him. "Good. Good. Soon the warplanes of the Malosan air force will be the mightiest force ever to fly through this planet's skies. Have we heard anything from Solopus or Foroa?"

The aide looked uncomfortable. "No, sir."

Papa Minn smiled with the joy of anticipation. "Then they shall see the power we command."

At that moment, John and Stephen teleported in. Seeing the aide going for his gun, John stunned him. Stephen stared hard at the person facing them. "Papa Minn?"

Papa Minn raised his hands slowly. "Are you with the aliens?"

"What do you know about the aliens?"John asked.

"Only what they've told me."

"Why are you working for them?"

Papa Minn smirked. "You know nothing. They work for me. Yet that was an impressive trick you just pulled. Who exactly are you?"

"We're the Tomorrow People,"Stephen replied.

"Tomorrow People? Tomorrow People?" Papa Minn laughed. "If you are tomorrow people, then you are _my_ people! Tomorrow belongs to me! I am the man of tomorrow!"

John shot Stephen an amused look. "Is this guy for real?" Stephen shrugged.

Papa Minn stopped his laughter and looked at them closely. "You remind me of that girl, Cara. Oh, what spirit she would show if she was ever fortunate enough to have a gun pointed at me."

"You know Cara?"Stephen asked. "Where is she?"

"With the aliens."

Stephen looked at John. "Let's find her."

They turned to go. Papa Minn pulled a grenade from his belt and made to remove the pin…and John teleported next to him and grabbed hold of his hand, holding the pin in place. "See if he's got any more," he told Stephen.

Furious, Papa Minn drew his gun but Stephen knocked it from his hand telekinetically. The dictator looked shocked for the first time. "What are you?"

"A form of life that's going to replace you,"John replied.

Stephen finished a brief search and took out three more grenades. "I think that's the lot."

John nodded. "Let's go."

* * *

Malosan guards entered the hangar. "Stand back from the-"began one of them.

Cara, standing next to the door, kicked him in the stomach. Sophie, Luca and a large group of Thargons jumped the second guard. Cara delivered a blow to her opponent's back, then kicked the restrained second guard in the head, leaving them both unconscious. She snatched up the two rifles and threw one to Jarrel. "This'll be more use to you than me, I can't use them. Not on a live target anyway."

The group hurried out of the hangar onto the airstrip. "What now?"Sophie asked.

"You lot get to the hangar where the Thargons' ship is."

"What about you?"Luca asked.

"I'll join you in a minute." Cara recalled that John and Stephen had been checking out the hangars in that direction. If the two of them hadn't lost their powers at that distance, then sending the Thargons in that direction should restore her own powers. She waited until the Thargons were some distance away then quietly called "Stephen? John?"

* * *

Stephen and John were elsewhere on the airstrip when they heard her voice. Both stopped and smiled. "You were right,"John noted.

"Cara?"Stephen called. "Where are you?"

"We've been locked up with a group of aliens called Thargons,"Cara explained. "We can't use our powers around them but it's not their fault, they can't help it. Papa Minn's been keeping them here. We're trying to get them to the hangar where they've kept their ship."

"That's where Astrid and Irene are,"Stephen told her.

"Okay, I'll try and warn them. But there's something else. Papa Minn's taken all the weapons from the ship. Some of them aren't in use yet but there's two weapons platforms at either end of the control towers. If he uses them, he can shoot the Thargon ship down."

"We'll take care of it,"John promised. He and Stephen looked up and picked out the two mounted guns. They held up two grenades each.

"You take left, I'll take right?"Stephen suggested.

They teleported to a mounted gun each, pulled the pins out of the grenade, placed them at the bottom and teleported out again. Moments later, both guns had exploded.

* * *

Cara smiled at the devastation but her joy was interrupted as a hail of bullets was fired in her direction, accompanied by a shout of "There she is!" from the soldier that had fired it. Cara focused, gathered her energy…and teleported, ending up in the hangar where the spaceship was. She smiled. "I've missed doing that."

It was then that she realised Astrid and Irene were standing in front of her. "You really are still alive then?"Irene asked nonchalantly.

"Looks like it,"Cara confirmed. "Stephen said I'd find you here."

"Where's Luca and Sophie?"Astrid asked.

"On their way here, hopefully. On foot. They've got a group of aliens with them. The Thargons. They're friendly. Can you get this ship working again?"

Irene took a moment to realise the question was directed at her. "Yeah, maybe if I had a few weeks to research it."

"We haven't got that long."

It was at that moment that Sophie, Luca and the Thargons came rushing in. Luca raised a hand at the sight of his two friends. "Hey there."

"Who are these?"Jarrel asked suspiciously.

"They're friends of ours,"Sophie explained. "Astrid and Irene."

Irene sighed, recognising her role in things. "Consider me your new scientific adviser."

* * *

Several hundred miles away, in the island state of Foroa, another state leader was about to receive an unexpected visit. Umar Baptiste wore a uniform similar to Papa Minn's but less elaborate. He was in consultation with an aide. "How long until Papa Minn's deadline expires?"

"Not long,"the aide admitted.

Baptiste considered this. "We cannot submit to him. Yet the western air forces were despatched by him with ease. Can we do better?"

"All military forces are on full stand by, leader."

At that moment, Russell, Mike and Charlotte teleported in. The aide went for his weapon and Mike shot him with a stun gun. Charlotte noticed Baptiste's shocked expression. "Don't worry,"she said soothingly. "He'll be all right."

Baptiste looked at them all, his manner controlled. "Who are you?"

Russell took a step forward. "We're here to help." He paused, looking awkward. "Actually, we're here to ask for help."

"From me?"Baptiste asked sceptically. "You're Americans, aren't you? Americans asking for help never goes well."

"We're not like other people,"Mike replied.

"You've seen that,"Russell agreed. "And we're not alone. We have friends like us."

"And where are they now?"Baptiste asked.

"Malosa,"Charlotte interjected. "They're trying to stop Papa Minn."

"Well, if they do, I'll be grateful but…"

"There's more,"Russell replied. "They're going to need you to attack Papa Minn's air strip. You and the Solopusians. So we're asking you to do that." He looked at Baptiste's stony expression, hoping for some encouragement. "Please."


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

John and Stephen teleported into the hangar. Cara ran to Stephen and kissed him, intensely. Stephen melted into the embrace until John coughed. "This place is going to blow up."

"What?"asked Sophie, shocked.

"It's part of the plan,"Stephen explained. "We get rid of the alien weapons and Papa Minn's enemies destroy this place. We'd better get in touch with Russell and get an update." He paused, trying to make telepathic contact, then looked confused.

"Warned you,"Cara reminded him.

John and Stephen noticed the red-skinned people for the first time. "You're the Thargons?"Stephen asked.

Jarrel nodded. "And you are the Tomorrow People. We are pleased to meet you."

"Hey, Jarrel! No slacking off!"Irene called.

Cara gave Stephen an apologetic look. "Change of plan. We're trying to get the Thargon ship operational. Irene's taken charge. Which means we have to hold out here and give them time to get away."

"Papa Minn knows we're here,"John pointed out. "There'll be soldiers here any minute."

Cara looked round. "Irene, Astrid, give Luke and Sophie your stun guns." She looked at Irene. "You're going to be too busy supervising the work to use it."

"What about me?"Astrid asked.

Cara took one of the assault rifles they'd taken from the Malosan soldiers and threw it to her. "You're the only one of us can use this."

"What about you?"Stephen asked, noticing Cara had kept one for herself.

Cara shrugged. "Guess we'll see how good I am at non-lethals."

At that moment, the Malosans came rushing in. "Take cover!"Stephen shouted as the exchange of fire began.

* * *

One of the airfield officers, Major Mendoza, was reporting to Papa Minn. "Our men have found the Tomorrow People."

"Tell them to beware of their powers,"Papa Minn warned.

Mendoza wondered if he should repeat the report he'd received. "The patrol report no sign of the powers you mentioned. Only of the strange weapons they used."

Papa Minn contemplated this. "A trick? Yes, a trick! They met Papa Minn and were afraid. Of course they would pretend to have powers! Good. So much the better. They will be wiped out and then the mastery will be mine again."

* * *

The Tomorrow People were crouched behind stacks of crates, exchanging fire with the Malosan soldiers, while Irene and the Thargons worked behind them. Cara stood up and fired a burst of bullets from the assault rifle. It was aimed over the soldiers' heads but was enough to disorientate them. Luca and Sophie fired bursts from their stun guns before Luca shot an agonised look at his brother. "How long are we going to do this?"

"You know better than me,"Stephen answered. "Until the Thargons can leave."

"Or until the bombs start dropping,"Astrid pointed out.

John nodded. "Hopefully Russell's timing is good."

* * *

At that moment, Russell, Charlotte and Mike were watching the Foroan taskforce lift off. Charlotte shot Russell an anxious look. "What about John and the others? They're at the airfield."

"I keep trying to warn them,"Russell admitted. "But I'm not picking them up telepathically." He saw Charlotte's worried look. "Hey, it might not mean anything. We couldn't sense Cara but Stephen was sure she's alive."

"We should teleport over there and warn them,"Mike argued.

"No,"Russell snapped. "They wouldn't want us putting ourselves in danger. We need to get back to the Refuge."


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you for the review!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

The Tomorrow People were continuing their exchange of fire with the Malosans. Cara, aware of the lack of ammo, carefully aimed at a soldier's leg and shot him. He went down in pain. She noticed Stephen's disapproving look. "What?"she asked. "It worked for Darcy."

"She got killed."

"Fair point."

John noticed Astrid looking nervous and gently took her hand. "You okay?"

"Fighting off the army of a brutal dictator while an alien spaceship gets repaired? Yeah, I do this sort of thing all the time."

John gave her a reassuring smile. He looked over at Luca and Sophie. It couldn't be easy for them but at least they seemed to be holding things together. On the surface anyway.

Irene came running over. "It's worked. The spaceship's operational."

"Do we need to get out of the way for it to take off?"Stephen asked.

"I'm hoping it's more sophisticated than that."

Stephen nodded, then picked up on a key word. "Hoping?"

"Yeah. You know, law of averages."

* * *

Papa Minn was standing over a radar operator, watching a set of blips appear on a screen. "What are those?"

The radar operator swallowed hard. "Aircraft, sir."

"Ours?"

"No, sir. The transponder codes indicate they are Foroan."

Papa Minn stiffened but raised his jaw proudly. "Major Mendoza, use the Thargon weapons."

"General…we have none that are ready for use,"Mendoza protested. "Our only operational weapons platforms have been destroyed. Probably by the Tomorrow People."

"General,"interjected the radar technician,"we have more aircraft on the screen. These ones are Solopusian. They all appear to be heading directly here."

Papa Minn tried to think fast. "The spaceship! Fly the spaceship up there. That will scare them off…"

"We are unable to get into the hangar, sir,"Mendoza reminded him. "The Tomorrow People again."

Papa Minn gave a snarl of frustration and stormed out.

* * *

The Tomorrow People braced themselves as the Thargon spaceship took off behind them. The Malosan soldiers, taken by surprise, backed away. Stephen watched the spaceship as it smashed through the roof of the hangar, showing them with rubble, and then kept on going. "Anyone got their powers back yet?"he asked.

Luca waved a hand at the Malosan soldiers and a TK blast sent them all flying. "Looks like it!"he agreed.

"Tim, we need teleport boost now!"

Moments later, all of them teleported out.

* * *

Papa Minn watched the spaceship departing. "No!"he roared in despair. And then the hangar exploded. For a moment, Papa Minn was confused. Then more explosions rocked the airstrip and a glance upwards told him that the air raid had begun. He began running for the comparative safety of the buildings but the sight of the enemy commander on the ground made him a clear target for the Foroans and Solopusians. He didn't even see the bomb heading his way before it exploded right on top of him.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

Stephen and Cara were sitting on the desk in the office at the Refuge. In front of them, Tim was displaying an array of images from news reel footage. "The death toll in the air raid on the Malosan island was large,"he noted. "It has been confirmed that Papa Minn was among them. With his death, various senior members of the Malosan hierarchy have attempted to declare themselves the new ruler, along with other factions. Political instability will likely continue for some time to come. All factions have, however, disavowed Papa Minn's policies and made it clear they do not wish to make war with the neighbouring countries. The destruction from the air raid was large enough for it to be safely assumed that any remaining alien weaponary was destroyed."

"And the Thargons?"Cara asked.

The image changed to a satellite picture of the departing spaceship. "There has been a curious lack of information in official news report,"Tim noted. "However, there seemed to be a consensus among the various militaries not to fire upon it. They reached speech unmolested."

"Good,"Cara said simply. "I kind of liked them."

"Guess all's good then,"Stephen noted.

Cara looked at him and smiled. "It is." She kissed him softly.

Stephen pulled back. "Cara…before we go there again…there's something you need to know. Something you need to see." He hesitated, and then took her hands.

Cara felt him releasing the images to her: His pain at thinking she was dead…and then something else. Flashes of naked bodies, a familiar blonde…Cara let go of his hands with a start, breathing heavily. When she could trust herself to speak again, she looked at him. "Irene?"

Stephen was silent for a long moment. "She was there,"he said at last. "I'm sorry. Can we get past this?"

It was Cara's turn to be silent. "I don't know,"she said finally. "I guess we'll see."

* * *

Marla stood in the kitchen expectantly. She'd received the telepathic communications from Stephen… from both her sons. But she needed to see it with her own eyes.

Luca and Sophie teleported in. Marla gave a gasp and then ran to embrace her younger son. "Easy, Mum!"Luca exclaimed awkwardly. "I haven't been gone that long."

"I thought you were dead,"she said quietly. "When I couldn't hear you…" She released him and gave him an accusing look. "Never do that to me again."

Luca looked at her worriedly. "You want me to leave the Tomorrow People?"

Marla hesitated for a moment and sighed. "You've got too much of your father in you, you know that? You and your brother. You're never going to run away from a fight. Just…promise me you'll be careful." She turned and hugged Sophie. "You too."

Sophie nodded. "We will, Mrs Jameson."

* * *

In the Refuge's lab, Russell and Irene were looking over the few images they had of Thargon equipment. "So, how are you feeling?"Russell asked. "You must be the first person to rebuild an alien spaceship. You should publish a paper."

Irene raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, and while I'm at it I'll mention that I'm also part of the next stage of human evolution. Just to make absolutely certain I get sectioned."

"What do you think'll happen to all this? I mean, they might have gone quiet now but the news channels were full of talk of alien spaceships not too long ago."

"People will forget,"Irene sighed. "They'll call it a hoax or a mistake. People do that. You can disappear into thin air in a crowded street and they'll just think it was a magic trick."

"But we know,"Russell pressed. "The Tomorrow People. Aliens exist."

"We do,"Irene confirmed. "And I get the feeling things aren't going to be the same again."

* * *

Astrid was in the middle of a conversation with Mike and Lucy in the rec room when John grabbed her and spun her away from them. "I'm taking you out,"he announced.

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the warning. Is this a date that I have to pay for or one that you teleport us into?"

"It's going to be dinner,"John answered. He produced a wad of dollar bills. "On me."

Astrid looked at them, bemused. "What did you do, sell some alien tech?" She looked at him worriedly. "Do not tell me you're an arms dealer."

"Relax! I worked some shifts at the Lair. Congratulations, you have finally turned me into a respectable wage slave."

Astrid smiled. "And all I needed to do was join you on a war torn island and rescue some enslaved aliens." She linked arms with him as they headed for the exit. "So, Michelin Star restaurant?"

"I think I might be able to manage the pizza parlour."

* * *

 **All opinions welcome!**


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